Monsanto sees definitive proxy for Bayer deal by end of October

Catch up on today's top five analyst upgrades with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Monsanto (MON) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan with analyst Jeffrey Zekauskas saying the risk in the shares is "less than what the market assumes." 2. Barclays (BCS) upgraded to Buy from Hold at HSBC citing the pending disposal of non-core businesses and resulting value creation. 3. Etsy (ETSY) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Monness Crespi with the firm's analyst believing that Etsy shares can still move higher and sees a solid opportunity for upward revisions from improving conversion rates due to enhanced search and mobile functionality, expanding take rates, and advanced cross-boarder commerce capabilities with vendors. 4. Clovis (CLVS) upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse with analyst Kennen MacKay saying the potential for a takeover "outweighs concerns surrounding patent life, limited experience in platinum resistant/refractory patients, and PARPi competition." 5. Jabil Circuit (JBL) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS with analyst Steven Milunovich saying the company's cash flow is nearing an inflection amid an upturn in its Apple (AAPL) business. This list is just a portion of The Fly's full analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

09/26/16

BERN

09/26/16UPGRADEBERNMarket Perform

Monsanto upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Bernstein

09/26/16

BERN

09/26/16UPGRADEBERNMarket Perform

Monsanto upgraded on acquisition at Bernstein

As noted earlier, Bernstein upgraded Monsanto (MON) to Market Perform from Underperform. Analyst Jonas Oxgaard upgraded the stock after Bayer (BAYRY) agreed to buy Monsanto. However, he warned that "it's too early to tell" whether regulators will approve the deal, and he says that the risk is "skewed to the downside in the near-term." He recommends that investors avoid the stock for 6-9 months. Target to $105 from $90.

09/27/16

GSCO

09/27/16UPGRADEGSCONeutral

Monsanto upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman

BAYRYBayer

$100.13

-0.07 (-0.07%)

09/15/16

PIPR

09/15/16NO CHANGETarget $128PIPROverweight

Piper has confidence in closing of Monsanto, Bayer merger

Piper Jaffray analyst Brett Wong raised his price target for Monsanto (MON) to $128 citing the takeover price paid by Bayer (BAYRY). The analyst views the offer price as lower than expected but has confidence regulatory approval will be granted since there is a minimal crossover between the two companies. He reiterates an Overweight rating on Monsanto.

09/15/16

BERN

09/15/16NO CHANGEBERN

Bayer acquisition negative, says Bernstein

After Bayer (BAYRY) agreed to buy Monsanto (MON), Bernstein analyst Jonas Oxgaard says he "continues to have a bearish view" of Monsanto's business, and he thinks that Monsanto's price exceeded the company's true value by about 60%. The analyst adds that the genetically modified products that Monsanto is developing "are not expected to command outsized premiums," while genetically modified seeds have nearly fully penetrated most of the Americas. He keeps an Underperform rating on Monsanto and an Outperform rating on Bayer.

09/21/16

JPMS

09/21/16UPGRADETarget $128JPMSOverweight

Monsanto upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan

JPMorgan analyst Jeffrey Zekauskas upgraded Monsanto (MON) to Overweight saying the risk in the shares is "less than what the market assumes." The analyst believes downside risk should the takeover by Bayer (BAYRY) fail is around $100 per share. He notes that Monsanto shareholders would receive $128 per share should the acquisition close. Zekauskas raised his price target for Monsanto to $128 from $100.